Archive for April, 2011
Friday, April 29th, 2011
Train companies across the UK have said that they foresee no problems with coping with the thousands of extra people travelling to the capital to celebrate the wedding of Prince William to Kate Middleton. According to the Association of Train Operating Companies, around 400,000 visitors are expected to make their way to London by rail.
Compared to the average bank holiday, passenger numbers are expected to be up by 15 per cent. A spokesman for the rail association said that additional trains were being put into service and that half of the train firms would be running to a weekday timetable.
Disruption has been kept to a minimum in the south-east according to Network Rail which has suspended or moved any engineering work where possible. Because many of the streets surrounding the wedding procession will be closed off today, motorists have been advised to stay away from central London.
London Underground said it would be keeping all stations open as well as all Tube lines. However, RMT general secretary Bob Crow issued a travel lottery warning for London explaining that the transport system was already finding it difficult to cope. Peter Hendy, London’s transport commissioner, said everything was being done to make sure that travelling around the city was easy and safe.
Retailers in London are also bracing themselves for an extra half-a-million shoppers over the long weekend. According to the New West End Company, which represents establishments on Bond Street and Oxford Street, between them customers could spend up to £50 million.
Tags: bank holiday, Bob Crow, Kate Middleton, London Underground, motorists, Network Rail, Prince William, rail, rmt, Royal Wedding, train
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Thursday, April 28th, 2011
Huge crowds are expected to descend on the capital to celebrate the Royal Wedding on Friday. Transport authorities are advising people to plan ahead in order to minimise disruption on the day. Those intending to visit the centre of London should expect a number of road closures and alterations to some bus routes.
Peter Hendy, transport commissioner for London, said teams would be out on the streets making sure that planned diversions and street closures were being managed as smoothly as possible. He added that all London Underground lines would be open for the big day as would all stations in the vicinity of the wedding procession route.
Many of the roads surrounding the route from the Palace to Westminster will either be closed or subject to parking restrictions between 5.30am and 8.00pm. Motorists intending to travel to central London on Friday are being advised to leave the car at home. However, as it is a bank holiday, the congestion charge will be suspended.
The underground will be running a Saturday service and the stations around Westminster will be open. However, London Underground has warned there may be temporary closures in the event that the stations become overcrowded. Those using Victoria have also being warned that a queuing system will be in place.
Buses which usually travel to areas including Trafalgar Square, Piccadilly, Hyde Park or Westminster will be stopped short of their destinations or diverted. London Tramlink and the Dockland Light Railway will both be running a normal service.
Tags: bank holiday, bus, Dockland Light Railway, London Underground, Peter Hendy, Royal Wedding, Tramlink, travel, Westminster
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Wednesday, April 27th, 2011
A Chicago federal grand jury has indicted two former Air France-KLM executives for their alleged involvement in price fixing in the airline’s cargo division. Former executive vice president, Marc Boudier, and Jean Charles Foucault, formerly the division’s vice president sales and marketing, have been accused by the Justice Department of conspiring to fix air cargo rates and coordinate surcharges with other airlines.
If they are convicted, both could face a million dollar fine and up to a decade behind bars. The pair’s cartel activity is alleged to have occurred between the middle of 2004 and early 2006. A US investigation spanning a number of years and conducted on both sides of the Atlantic has resulted in 21 executives and 21 companies being accused of participating in fixing prices.
Air France-KLM was one of four airlines which admitted being involved in cartel activity to the US in 2008. The admission saw the airline faced with one of the largest ever fines handed out after an investigation by the anti-trust authorities.
The same offences meant that KLM, Air France and the group’s Martinair Holland have had to pay Canada $10 million in fines. Air France-KLM has launched an appeal against a fine totalling nearly €350 million which has been handed down for price fixing by the European Commission.
In addition, the airline is trying to fend off compensation claims being made by a large number of European companies. The firms include Ericsson and Philips which are looking for some €500 million in damages because of illegal freight pricing.
Tags: air france, Air France-KLM, airlines, Ericsson, European Commission, Jean Charles Foucault, klm, Marc Boudier, Martinair Holland, Philips
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Tuesday, April 26th, 2011
Millions of Brits have decided to take advantage of Easter, the Royal Wedding and the bank holidays by taking a few days off work. This has been good news for travel operators and airlines, but not such good news for the economy as a whole. Some analysts predict that with one in every three workers not due to return until Tuesday next week, £30 billion could be wiped from the economy.
Business leaders have also predicted that some companies will have to shut down because of a slow in demand and a shortage of staff. The news comes as GDP figures show that the economy has tipped back into recession.
Financial experts are also warning that small businesses could suffer as banks might not clear cheques for a fortnight. Those using cheques to clear overdrafts or pay off their credit cards could be hit with extra charges because of the delays caused by the bank holiday weekends.
The surge in the number of people deciding to travel means that Ryanair sales have increased by 10 per cent on Easter 2010. Thomson and First Choice owner Tui said it was recording a rise of 22 per cent on its bookings compared to this time last year.
There has also been good news for retailers as shoppers returned to the country’s high streets over the Easter break. According to the New West End Company, two million customers visited shops in central London over the weekend which is an increase of four per cent on the same time last year.
Tags: airlines, Easter, First Choice, recession, Royal Wedding, Ryanair, thomson, Tui
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Monday, April 25th, 2011
The European Union is warning that there could be chaos at airports if members do not agree to go through with the proposed lifting of the liquids ban at the same time. Transport commissioner at the EU, Siim Kallas, said it appeared that some governments were ignoring the issue because it is easier just to keep the ban in place. The EU wants to see the ban removed in April 2013.
The UK has already ignored the first phase which would see passengers coming from outside Europe allowed to carry liquids purchased in duty-free onto connecting flights. Transport secretary, Philip Hammond, said there were still too many concerns about security to do away with the laws.
Airport managers have expressed their concerns over the lengthening of queues as passengers travel from a country without the ban to a country where the legislation remains in place. The current ban means that passengers are not permitted to carry more than 100ml of a particular liquid onto an airliner. The rules were put in place in 2006 following the discovery of a bomb plot at Heathrow. Each year at the airport, some 2,000 tonnes of liquid is taken from passengers.
Kallas said that he wanted to see airports making a significant investment in technology which can detect dangerous liquids. The Airport Operators Association claims that the machines are not yet ready, something which is being denied by the manufacturers.
Smiths Group, a major supplier of screening equipment, said all their scanners needed was an upgrade in their software and they would be ready.
Tags: airports, european union, Heathrow, Philip Hammond, Siim Kallas, Smiths Group
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Friday, April 22nd, 2011
A fall off in demand has prompted Singapore Airlines to reduce the number of services it flies each week to Los Angeles. The carrier has announced that it will temporarily be removing daily flights on Tuesdays and Wednesdays as of 3 May. The airline will still fly five times a week and a spokesman said the mid-week services tended to attract less demand than the others.
Singapore Airlines operates a business-class only service to Los Angeles which uses Airbus A345 aircraft. The flights are non-stop from Singapore. Airline spokesman Nicholas Ionides explained that the decision to cut back on the route was made purely to balance the number of seats available with the demand for those seats.
He added that the rising price of fuel was not a factor in the decision but admitted that, as with other airlines, rocketing oil prices were having a negative impact on business. The price of crude recently hit it highest point for well over two years.
In its most recent monthly report, the International Energy Agency issued a warning that if the price of a barrel of oil remains over the $100 mark there could be repercussions for the recovery of the world’s economy.
Airline customers are already feeling the impact as major carriers continue to increase the fuel surcharges added to the price of tickets. Earlier this month, British Airways announced that it would be placing an extra £10 on the price of economy-class long-haul tickets and £20 on the price of premium-class tickets.
Tags: airbus, airline, British Airways, flights, fuel surcharges, los Angeles, oil prices, Singapore Airlines
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Thursday, April 21st, 2011
Sir Martin Broughton, chairman of British Airways, has delivered a scathing attack on airport security. He said it was unacceptable that passengers were having their time wasted in long security queues just because political correctness demanded that everyone be treated equally. Sir Martin added that rather than having a uniform system, passengers should be targeted for checks depending on the risk they posed.
He conceded that profiling passengers was by its very nature discriminatory, but defended it explaining that it was a far more effective approach than many of the other procedures. He added that treating everyone equally meant resources were becoming stretched and the quality of security was reduced.
The outspoken BA boss was talking to the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport when he said air crew had to be the most trusted passengers there were and should therefore be allowed to bypass the normal checks. He added that it made no sense to treat a pilot in the same way as a student from the Yemen.
Sir Martin slammed airport security last year when he accused the UK of bowing down to demands made by the Americans following the 9/11 terrorist attacks. He pointed out that many of the procedures being requested by the US were not actually being followed internally.
He said it was important to remember that the attack on New York came from within the US and was not directly related to any passengers flying into the country from abroad. Airport security measures were stepped up dramatically in the UK following the attack.
Tags: air crew, airport security, BA, British Airways, profiling, security, Sir Martin Broughton
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Wednesday, April 20th, 2011
The European Union has introduced proposals which could see high-speed rail replace short-haul flights. Transport commissioner for the EU, Siim Kallas, said the removal of the need for air travel across Europe would tackle a number of problems and was necessary if the 2050 goal of reducing carbon emissions by 60 per cent was to be achieved.
He added that the problem of congestion at Heathrow would be removed and there would no longer be the need for expansion or the building of extra runways. He went on to say that airlines would begin to reap the benefits as they could concentrate on expanding their long-haul itineraries.
Kallas pointed to the high-speed rail service which runs between Barcelona and Madrid. He explained that demand for flights between the two Spanish cities had been drastically reduced and that many passengers were finding train travel a much more comfortable alternative to travelling by air.
The transport commissioner also said there was a need for EU countries to cut the reliance on conventional cars in the centre of cities. He explained that it was important for motorists to stop relying on diesel and petrol powered cars for making short journeys. He went on to say that even the introduction of electric cars would not help the current problems associated with congestion.
Kallas said he would also like to see major airports and ports served by high-speed trains thus removing the need for freight to travel by road. Another proposal was to introduce a congestion charge similar to London’s to other European cities.
Tags: air travel, carbon emissions, electric cars, european union, flights, high speed rail, train, travel
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Tuesday, April 19th, 2011
Travelodge is to team up with various pub companies across the UK as part of its £100 million programme of expansion. The hotel chain intends to open 36 new sites next door to pubs as a way of making the hotels more attractive to guests. The joint venture will also give a boost to the pubs, as Travelodge guests are likely to drink and eat in them.
The venture includes well known pub names such as JD Wetherspoon, Mitchells & Butlers, Marston’s and Greene King. It is estimated that 550 new jobs will be created by the joint-expansion by 2015.
The plan is either to put up a hotel close to an existing pub or choose a site where a new Travelodge can be built at the same time as a new pub. As well as a reduction in development costs, the joint-venture will allow both the pubs and the hotels to share facilities.
Many pubs have been struggling in recent years and many have been forced to close their doors as more people choose to take advantage of the cheaper alcohol available through supermarket chains and stay at home. A number of pub companies have announced that they will be opening establishments in leisure and retail parks in the hope that customers are likely to want to sit down for a meal.
According to the British Beer and Pub Association, more pubs are now concentrating on the quality of their food offering rather than just selling drinks. The latest figures show that one billion meals are being served in pubs every year.
Tags: Greene King, hotel, hotel chain, JD Wetherspoon, Marston’s, Mitchells & Butlers, pub, Travelodge
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Monday, April 18th, 2011
Concerns have been raised that London’s transport infrastructure could struggle when it comes to coping with the influx of visitors during next year’s Olympic Games. The transport arm of the London Assembly has published a report in which it claims transport problems could become a major issue.
According to the document, the capital’s network is already running very close to capacity. The committee has also identified 22 hotspots where it predicts a massive surge in demand including Victoria and King’s Cross Stations, the Blackwall Tunnel and the Embankment. Over the nine busiest days of the Games it is expected that well over a million extra journeys will be made.
The report is also concerned that if something should go wrong such as an alert over security or a train breaking down, the problems of a large increase in passenger numbers could be compounded. The report also warns that travel services elsewhere could see an increase in demand as travellers make alternative plans for avoiding the most congested areas of the capital.
Val Shawcross, the committee’s chair, said the network was already overburdened and now faces even more extreme demands being made of it. The report states that it is unlikely that anyone who is used to travelling through London regularly will not notice the differences next year.
It is expected that the Games will attract around 5.3 million visitors. Transport for London said it was aware of the challenges and that improvements to services were already in place. It added that most projects were developing well ahead of schedule.
Tags: london assembly, Olympic Games, train, transport, Transport for London, travel services, val shawcross
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